The Dose: ‘What’s Revenge’ comments on gender dynamics

The Dose: ‘What’s Revenge’ comments on gender dynamics

Kat Hunt aims to answer that question in her directional debut, which was screened at 10:30 p.m. on Friday at the Campus Theatre a part of the Thin Line Festival. This screening was the Texas premiere of the film.

Hunt plays a version of herself in this quirky, experimental comedy. After being reunited with longtime friend, both on-screen and in real life, Erica, Hunt feels compelled to attempt righting some wrongs. Erica presents Hunt with a list of three men who, over the time the friends had been apart, treated Erica poorly in regards to dating. Hunt then decides to craft individual revenge plots against each of these men — all behind Erica’s back, albeit unintentionally.

“Men were afraid of me,” Hunt said at the beginning of the film. “At least that’s what I’d been cultivating.”

Throughout the hour-long film, Hunt begins to second-guess her efforts and wonder if these personally-calculated revenge strategies are worth the trouble and turmoil they put her in.

The film can be described as “docu-fiction”. Its technically is not a true story, but feels very real and makes strong social by commentary poking fun at gender dynamics in casual dating situations.

The style of the film is rarely used. The music and sound effects elicit a Tarantino-esque aura. However, there is not any physical violence in the film. Although low-budget, the final product of the film feels very high quality.

After the screening of the film, Hunt took the stage to answer audience questions regarding the conception of “What’s Revenge” and her experience directing for the first time.

“I think the idea of this all-powerful director is bullshit,” Hunt told the audience, adding that she felt inspired by her peers in the process and was always welcoming of new ideas.

Hunt said that a good portion of the film was improvised and any script that was written was created during filming. The filming process was spread out over four years because of the small budget. While the circumstances may have been unfavorable, Hunt’s determination to finish the film was evident in an ultimately well-done final product that was a perfect fit for Denton’s Thin Line Festival.

Featured Image: In this film, director Kat Hunt compels her friend Erica to take revenge on the men in her life in this fictional comedy. It was premiered during ThinLine fest at 10:30 pm on Appril 21 at the Campus Theater. Amber Nasser